# PDF Pro vs PDF Book Reader

The clearest difference is rating: PDF Pro at 4.7 against PDF Book Reader's 3.9. PDF Pro also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (6.9K vs 31). PDF Book Reader's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Pro sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PDF Book Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Pro has 6.9K ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 60% and 61% positive.

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, PDF Book Reader every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Pro | PDF Book Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656/reviews)** | [3.9 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-book-reader/id1576631236/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 31 |
| Positive reviews | 60.3% of reviews | **61.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 91 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dominic Rodemer](https://appshunter.io/developer/309872333) | [B TO J PTY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/569308231) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-pro-reader-editor-forms/id454936656)

Edit, annotate, and read PDF documents on your iPhone and iPad. Highlight text, add notes, shapes, voice recordings, and photos. Search your entire PDF library, fill out forms, and sign documents.

**Highlights:** Edit and annotate PDFs, Highlight text and add notes, Embed audio and photo annotations, Full-text search of PDF library, Fill out and sign PDF forms, Organize PDFs with folders and tags, Import from cloud storage

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offer - Monthly - macOS | $1.99 | per month |
| Offer - Monthly - iOS | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Monthly - iOS | $3.99 | per month |
| Premium - Monthly - macOS | $4.99 | per month |
| Offer - Annual - iOS | $12.99 | per year |
| Offer - Annual - macOS | $22.99 | per year |
| Premium  - Annual - iOS | $24.99 | per year |
| Offer - macOS + iOS | $24.99 | per year |
| Offer - iOS + macOS | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium - Annual - macOS | $44.99 | per year |
| Premium - iOS + macOS | $49.99 | per year |
| Premium - macOS + iOS | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Excellent PDF management features
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 🎨 Great annotation tools

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Inconsistent search functionality
- 📖 Loses last read position
- 🖋️ Unreliable handwriting support

**Reported bugs**

- Annotations and highlights randomly disappearing
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Corrupted PDF files after editing
- Slow performance on older devices
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between PDFs

**Requested features**

- Improved bookmarking and note-taking
- Seamless iCloud/cloud storage integration
- Customizable keyboard shortcuts
- Advanced text editing and OCR capabilities
- Better organization and folder management


### PDF Book Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-book-reader/id1576631236)

Easily read, manage, and annotate PDF books and documents. This app offers a smooth reading experience, powerful annotation tools, and seamless cloud integration. Organize, search, and share your PDFs with ease.

**Highlights:** Natural PDF reading and navigation, PDF bookmarking and annotation, Text search and OCR extraction, PDF merging and page rearrangement, Cloud storage integration (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud), File import and export via cloud and Files app, PDF sharing and printing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| 1 Year Subscription | $28.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Pro free?

PDF Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Book Reader free?

PDF Book Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Pro or PDF Book Reader?

PDF Pro is rated higher. PDF Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while PDF Book Reader averages 3.9 from 31 ratings.

### Do PDF Pro or PDF Book Reader have ads?

PDF Book Reader shows ads; PDF Pro does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Pro or PDF Book Reader?

PDF Pro ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Book Reader every 5 days. Most recently, PDF Pro was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Book Reader on September 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*